Anonymizing location data

ABSTRACT

Approaches presented herein enable servicing a location request for a user device by providing anonymized location data. Specifically, a location request for a user device is received from an application server associated with a location-based/location-tracking application. Based on an application setting option associated with the location-based/location-tracking application, a geographic cell is defined. A set of available participating devices within the geographic cell is identified. A participating device is selected from the set of available participating devices. The location request is routed to the selected participating device, wherein the selected participating device forwards a location of the selected participating device to the application server.

RELATED U.S. APPLICATION DATA

The present patent document is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/278,060, filed Sep. 28, 2016, entitled “ANONYMIZING LOCATIONDATA”, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to providing location information and,more specifically, to servicing a location request for a user device byproviding anonymized location data.

BACKGROUND

As children playing the game ‘hide and seek’, there often seemed to beso many places where a person could hide and not be discovered. Withtoday's world feeling increasingly smaller through technology, hidingnow can seem difficult. Cameras can peer down on us at red lights, whenwe are walking along city streets, in our workplace, and in stores.Today, those cameras are increasingly being augmented by newtechnologies that track our cars, cell phones, and possibly even theproducts that we buy. Such technology means that marketers and otherscould know a person's whereabouts at any time.

SUMMARY

In general, embodiments of the present invention provide for servicing alocation request for a user device by providing anonymized locationdata. Specifically, a location request for a user device is receivedfrom an application server associated with alocation-based/location-tracking application. Based on an applicationsetting option associated with the location-based/location-trackingapplication, a geographic cell is defined. A set of availableparticipating devices within the geographic cell are identified. Aparticipating device is selected from the set of available participatingdevices. The location request is routed to the selected participatingdevice, wherein the selected participating device forwards a location ofthe selected participating device to the application server.

One aspect of the present invention includes a computer-implementedmethod for providing location information, the method comprising:receiving, by a user device from an application server, a request for alocation of the user device; defining a geographic cell based on anapplication option setting associated with an application, wherein theapplication is associated with the application server; identifying a setof available participating devices within the geographic cell; selectinga participating device from among the set of available participatingdevices; and routing the location request to the selected participatingdevice via an address associated with the selected participating device.

Another aspect of the present invention includes a computer programproduct for providing location information, and program instructionsstored on the computer readable storage device, to: receive, by a userdevice from an application server, a request for a location of the userdevice; define a geographic cell based on an application option settingassociated with an application, wherein the application is associatedwith the application server; identify a set of available participatingdevices within the geographic cell; select a participating device fromamong the set of available participating devices; and route the locationrequest to the selected participating device via an address associatedwith the selected participating device.

Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a computer systemfor providing location information, the computer system comprising: amemory medium comprising program instructions; a bus coupled to thememory medium; and a processor for executing the program instructions,the instructions causing the system to: receive, by a user device froman application server, a request for a location of the user device;define a geographic cell based on an application option settingassociated with an application, wherein the application is associatedwith the application server; identify a set of available participatingdevices within the geographic cell; select a participating device fromamong the set of available participating devices; and route the locationrequest to the selected participating device via an address associatedwith the selected participating device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of this invention will be more readilyunderstood from the following detailed description of the variousaspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows an architecture 10 in which the invention may beimplemented according to illustrative embodiments;

FIG. 2 depicts a cloud computing environment according to illustrativeembodiments;

FIG. 3 depicts abstraction model layers according to illustrativeembodiments;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram 200 illustrating an exemplaryenvironment for implementation according to illustrative embodiments;

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram 300 illustrating an anonymized locationmechanism 72 according to illustrative embodiments;

FIG. 6 shows an example graphical user interface 300 according toillustrative embodiments;

FIG. 7A shows an example map 500 according to illustrative embodiments;

FIG. 7B shows an example map 550 according to illustrative embodiments;

FIG. 8 shows a process flowchart 600 for servicing a location requestfor a user device by providing anonymized location data according toillustrative embodiments.

The drawings are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are merelyrepresentations, not intended to portray specific parameters of theinvention. The drawings are intended to depict only typical embodimentsof the invention, and therefore should not be considered as limiting inscope. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Illustrative embodiments will now be described more fully herein withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which illustrativeembodiments are shown. It will be appreciated that this disclosure maybe embodied in many different forms and should not be construed aslimited to the illustrative embodiments set forth herein.

Furthermore, the terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescribing particular embodiments only and is not intended to belimiting of this disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”,“an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unlessthe context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, the use of theterms “a”, “an”, etc., do not denote a limitation of quantity, butrather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items.Furthermore, similar elements in different figures may be assignedsimilar element numbers. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises” and/or “comprising”, or “includes” and/or “including”, whenused in this specification, specify the presence of stated features,regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/orgroups thereof.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, it may be appreciated that termssuch as “processing”, “detecting”, “determining”, “evaluating”,“receiving”, or the like, refer to the action and/or processes of acomputer or computing system, or similar electronic data center device,that manipulates and/or transforms data represented as physicalquantities (e.g., electronic) within the computing system's registersand/or memories into other data similarly represented as physicalquantities within the computing system's memories, registers or othersuch information storage, transmission, or viewing devices. Theembodiments are not limited in this context.

It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes adetailed description of cloud computing, implementation of the teachingsrecited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g., networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows. On-demand self-service: a cloud consumercan unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as server timeand network storage, as needed, automatically without requiring humaninteraction with the service's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active consumer accounts). Resource usage canbe monitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for boththe provider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based email). Theconsumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructureincluding network, servers, operating systems, storage, or evenindividual application capabilities, with the possible exception oflimited consumer-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication-hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising anetwork of interconnected nodes.

As stated above, embodiments of the present invention provide forservicing a location request for a user device by providing anonymizedlocation data. Specifically, a location request for a user device isreceived from an application server associated with alocation-based/location-tracking application. Based on an applicationsetting option associated with the location-based/location-trackingapplication, a geographic cell is defined. A set of availableparticipating devices within the geographic cell is identified. Aparticipating device is selected from the set of available participatingdevices. The location request is routed to the selected participatingdevice, wherein the selected participating device forwards a location ofthe selected participating device to the application server.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic of an example of a cloud computingnode is shown. Cloud computing node 10 is only one example of a suitablecloud computing node and is not intended to suggest any limitation as tothe scope of use or functionality of embodiments of the inventiondescribed herein. Regardless, cloud computing node 10 is capable ofbeing implemented and/or performing any of the functionality set forthhereinabove.

In cloud computing node 10, there is a computer system/server 12, whichis operational with numerous other general purpose or special purposecomputing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may besuitable for use with computer system/server 12 include, but are notlimited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thinclients, thick clients, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system/server 12 may be described in the general context ofcomputer system-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system. Generally, program modules may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Computer system/server 12 may be practiced in distributed cloudcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be locatedin both local and remote computer system storage media including memorystorage devices.

As shown in FIG. 1, computer system/server 12 in cloud computing node 10is shown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. Thecomponents of computer system/server 12 may include, but are not limitedto, one or more processors or processing units 16, a system memory 28,and a bus 18 that couples various system components including systemmemory 28 to processor 16.

Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures,including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, anaccelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation,such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnects (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 12, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

System memory 28 can include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 30 and/or cachememory 32. Computer system/server 12 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 34 can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,memory 28 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

The embodiments of the invention may be implemented as a computerreadable signal medium, which may include a propagated data signal withcomputer readable program code embodied therein (e.g., in baseband or aspart of a carrier wave). Such a propagated signal may take any of avariety of forms including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic,optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signalmedium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computerreadable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, ortransport a program for use by or in connection with an instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium including, but not limited to, wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, radio-frequency (RF), etc., or anysuitable combination of the foregoing.

Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program modules 42,may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data orsome combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 42 generally carry out the functions and/ormethodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.

Computer system/server 12 may also communicate with one or more externaldevices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 24, etc.;one or more devices that enable a consumer to interact with computersystem/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.)that enable computer system/server 12 to communicate with one or moreother computing devices. Such communication can occur via I/O interfaces22. Still yet, computer system/server 12 can communicate with one ormore networks such as a local area network (LAN), a general wide areanetwork (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g., the Internet) via networkadapter 20. As depicted, network adapter 20 communicates with the othercomponents of computer system/server 12 via bus 18. It should beunderstood that although not shown, other hardware and/or softwarecomponents could be used in conjunction with computer system/server 12.Examples include, but are not limited to: microcode, device drivers,redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems,tape drives, and data archival storage systems, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrative cloud computing environment 50 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 comprises one or morecloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C,and/or automobile computer system 54N may communicate. Nodes 10 maycommunicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as private, community,public, or hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offerinfrastructure, platforms, and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shownin FIG. 2 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type ofcomputerized device over any type of network and/or network addressableconnection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 3, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 2) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 3 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers andcorresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include mainframes. In oneexample, IBM® zSeries® systems and RISC (Reduced Instruction SetComputer) architecture based servers. In one example, IBM pSeries®systems, IBM System x® servers, IBM BladeCenter® systems, storagedevices, networks, and networking components. Examples of softwarecomponents include network application server software. In one example,IBM WebSphere® application server software and database software. In oneexample, IBM DB2® database software. (IBM, zSeries, pSeries, System x,BladeCenter, WebSphere, and DB2 are trademarks of International BusinessMachines Corporation registered in many jurisdictions worldwide.)

Virtualization layer 62 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers;virtual storage; virtual networks, including virtual private networks;virtual applications and operating systems; and virtual clients.

In one example, management layer 64 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning provides dynamic procurement of computingresources and other resources that are utilized to perform tasks withinthe cloud computing environment. Metering and pricing provide costtracking as resources are utilized within the cloud computingenvironment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may comprise applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.Consumer portal provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management providescloud computing resource allocation and management such that requiredservice levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning andfulfillment provides pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloudcomputing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated inaccordance with an SLA. Further shown in management layer iscommunication facilitation, which represents the functionality that isprovided under the embodiments of the present invention.

Workloads layer 66 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation; software development and lifecycle management; virtualclassroom education delivery; data analytics processing; transactionprocessing; and anonymized location service. As mentioned above, all ofthe foregoing examples described with respect to FIG. 3 are illustrativeonly, and the invention is not limited to these examples.

It is understood that all functions of the present invention asdescribed herein typically may be performed by the commandidentification functionality (of management layer 64, which can betangibly embodied as modules of program code 42 of program/utility 40(FIG. 1). However, this need not be the case. Rather, the functionalityrecited herein could be carried out/implemented and/or enabled by any ofthe layers 60-66 shown in FIG. 3.

It is reiterated that although this disclosure includes a detaileddescription on cloud computing, implementation of the teachings recitedherein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather, theembodiments of the present invention are intended to be implemented withany type of networked computing environment now known or laterdeveloped.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram 200 illustrating an exemplaryenvironment for implementation according to illustrative embodiments. Asshown, system 200 includes an anonymized location server 48, ananonymized location database 56, one or more application server(s) 55, anumber of participating devices 81-1 through 81-N (generally referred toherein collectively as participating devices 81 and individually asparticipating device 81) having associated participating users 82-1through 82-N (generally referred to herein collectively as participatingusers 82 and individually as participating user 82), and a user device84 including anonymized location mechanism 72 having an associated user86 communicatively coupled via a network 58. The network 58 may be anytype of network or any combination of networks. Specifically, thenetwork 58 may include wired components, wireless components, or bothwired and wireless components. In one exemplary embodiment, the network58 is a distributed public network such as the Internet, where theparticipating devices 81 and user device 84 are enabled to connect tothe network 58 via local wireless connections (e.g., Wi-Fi® or IEEE802.11 connections) or wireless telecommunications connections (e.g., 3Gor 4G telecommunications connections such as GSM, LTE, W-CDMA, or WiMAX®connections).

Participating devices 81 and/or user device 84 may be mobile smartphones, portable media player devices, portable fitness devices, mobilegaming devices, or the like. Some exemplary devices that may beprogrammed or otherwise configured to operate as participating devices81 and/or user device 84 are the Apple® iPhone®, the Motorola Droid orsimilar phone running Google's Android™ Operating System, an Apple®Pad™, and the Apple® iPod Touch® device. However, this list of exemplarydevices is not exhaustive and is not intended to limit the scope of thepresent disclosure.

In general, the one or more application servers 55 operate to provideservices for a number of persons including participating users 82 ofparticipating devices 81 and user 86 of user device 84. For example, theone or more application servers 55 may be servers providing servicesincluding, but not limited to, social networking services, streamingmedia services, email services, music services, ticketing services,coupon/deal services, cloud storage services, digital calendars, travelservices, banking services, health care services, news services,directions services, weather services, gaming services, restaurants,retail stores, theaters, or the like.

In an embodiment, anonymized location server 48 generally operates toobtain/maintain an assigned geographic location for each participatingdevice 81 and user device 84. In an embodiment, each assigned geographiclocation may represent a residence of the respective user of the deviceand can be expressed as positional geographic coordinates such aslatitude-longitude pairs, and a height vector (if applicable), or anyother similar information capable of identifying a given physical pointin space in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinate system. Inan embodiment, assigned geographic locations associated with eachparticipating device 81 and user device 84 may be stored in anonymizedlocation database 56. In addition, anonymized location database 56 maystore an address associated with each participating device 81 and userdevice 84. For example, the address may include a private IPv4 addresswhich can be translated via Large Scale Network Address Translation(LSN) in order to communicate with the device.

Anonymized location database 56 may be a relational database, which isimplemented in a combination of hardware (i.e., physical data storagehardware) and software (i.e., relational database software). Althoughanonymized location database 56 is shown as separate from anonymizedlocation server 48, anonymized location database 56 may be integral toor separate from anonymized location server 48.

Referring now to FIG. 5, block diagram 300 describing the functionalitydiscussed herein according to an embodiment of the present invention isshown. It is understood that the teachings recited herein may bepracticed within any type of computing environment (e.g., computersystem/server 12). To this extent, the teachings recited herein may bepracticed within a stand-alone computer system or within a networkedcomputing environment (e.g., a client-server environment, peer-to-peerenvironment, distributed computing environment, cloud computingenvironment, and/or the like). If the teachings recited herein arepracticed within a networked computing environment, each physical serverneed not have an anonymized location mechanism 72 (hereinafter “system72”). Rather, system 72 could be loaded on a server or server-capabledevice that communicates (e.g., wirelessly) with the physical server toprovide the functions described herein. Regardless, as depicted, system72 can be implemented as program/utility 40 on computer system/server 12of FIG. 1 and can enable the functions recited herein. It is furtherunderstood that system 72 may be incorporated within or work inconjunction with any type of system that receives, processes, and/orexecutes commands with respect to IT resources in a networked computingenvironment. Such other system(s) have not been shown in FIG. 5 forbrevity purposes.

In an embodiment, a user (e.g., participating user 82, user 86) mayinstall anonymized location mechanism 72 on a mobile device from one ofseveral digital distribution platforms for mobile devices, such as theApple® App Store™ for iOS™ devices, the Android™ Marketplace forAndroid™ OS devices, and the like. Once the anonymized locationmechanism 72 has been downloaded on a mobile device, the user may“opt-in” and utilize an anonymized location service for servicing alocation request for the mobile device by providing anonymized locationdata. Each user who has opted in becomes a participating user. User 86is a participating user but is designated differently in this disclosurefor purposes of clarity. In this disclosure, user 86 represents aparticipating user taking advantage of the anonymized location servicewhen subject to a location request.

FIG. 6 shows an example graphical user interface (GUI) 400 forconfiguring technical settings related to the anonymized locationservice on a mobile device. In an embodiment, the user interface caninclude a menu to access the technical settings. The technical settingscan include opting in or out of the anonymized location service. Inaddition, technical settings can include setting options forlocation-based and/or location-tracking applications installed on themobile device when opting in to the anonymized location service. Thetechnical settings above are exemplary only and not intended to belimiting. As shown, GUI 400 includes opt-in button 402 and applicationsetting options 406A-F for installed applications 404A-F, respectively.As shown, opt-in button 402 is set to ‘ON’ for user device 84. Technicalsettings will be described in greater detail below. All of theinformation described above can be presented in a single user interfacescreen. In some implementations, if the screen is not large enough, anexpanded interface (e.g., scrollable, tabbed, multi-paged, etc.) can bepresented, and the user can navigate through the screen to review andconfigure all the necessary settings.

The inventors of the invention described herein have recognized certaindeficiencies in known methods for providing location data when using amobile device. One current solution for users is to disable locationservices on their mobile device. However, this often prevents the userfrom using useful services associated with certain applications.Recently, certain mobile devices enable users to turn location serviceson/off on a per application basis. While this method seems to solve theproblem, it still falls short. First, users must manually andcontinuously check which location-based and/or location-trackingapplications are allowed access location data. This can be cumbersomefor users and time consuming. Second, users must still trust thelocation-based and/or location tracking applications with their locationdata. This can be risky for users. For example, assume that a userleverages an application that provides restaurant reviews in the user'sgeneral location. The application may provide a useful location-basedservice, but the location data may also be transmitted to othercompanies who use it for unintended or malicious purposes. Theapproaches described herein provide a seamless way for providinganonymized location data of users through crowd sourcing while stillproviding access to location-based and/or location-trackingapplications.

Referring now to FIGS. 7A-B, example maps 500, 550 are illustratedaccording to embodiments of the invention. FIGS. 7A-B are used toillustrate the operation of anonymized location mechanism 72 of userdevice 84. Consider the following example. User 86 lives in Clevelandand is vacationing in the Washington, D.C. area. FIG. 7A shows theCleveland area including home geographic cell 502. FIG. 7B shows theWashington, D.C. area including mobile geographic cell 552. Geographiccells will be discussed in greater detail below.

Referring back to FIGS. 6 and 7A-B, assume that user 86 has configuredtechnical settings for user device 84 as shown in GUI 400. As shown,opt-in button 402 is set to ‘ON’ for user device 84 meaning user 86 hasopted in to the anonymized location service. In addition, user 86 hasconfigured settings for installed applications 404A-F. As shown, each ofapplication setting options 406A-F include three options: ‘Mobile’, and‘OFF’. Weather application 404A, coffee shops application 404E, and mapapplication 404F are set to ‘Mobile’. Movie application 404B and socialmedia application 404D are set to ‘Home’. Camera application 404C is setto ‘OFF’. Location services (and any related settings) native to userdevice 84 may be utilized when servicing a location request when a userhas opted out of the anonymized location service (i.e., opt-in button402 is set to ‘OFF’).

In an embodiment, anonymized location data using a home location or amobile location may be provided in response to a location requestedbased on the technical settings discussed above (e.g., movie application404B set to ‘Home’ and weather application 404A set to ‘Mobile’). Assumea home location associated with user device 84 is located near thecenter of home geographic cell 502. Further, assume a mobile locationassociated with user device 84 (i.e., the current location of userdevice 84) is located near the center of mobile geographic cell 550 Homegeographic cell 502 includes participating device 81-1 at currentlocation B (shown as a circle ‘B’ on the map), participating device81-10 at current location D, and participating device 81-20 at currentlocation F. Participating devices 81-1, 81-10, and 81-20 have a homelocation within home geographic cell 502. Mobile geographic cell 552includes participating device 81-3 at current location A (shown as acircle ‘A’ on the map), participating device 81-13 at current locationC, participating device 81-23 at current location E, and participatingdevice 81-33 at current location G. Participating devices 81-3, 81-13,81-23, and 81-33 have a home location within mobile geographic cell 552.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 5, in conjunction with FIGS. 7A-B,request reception component 152 of system 72, as executed by computersystem/server 12, is configured to receive a request for a location. Inan embodiment, a location request may be initiated from an applicationserver 55 or initiated by a user (e.g., user 86), such as when the userlaunches a location-based and/or location-tracking application on userdevice 84. A location request simply requests a current location for aparticular mobile device. For example, user 86 launches cameraapplication 404C to take a picture while on vacation in Washington,D.C., and application server 55 associated with camera application 404Crequests a location of user device 84. While user 86 has opted in to theanonymized location service (i.e., opt in button 402 set to ‘ON’), user86 has selected ‘OFF’ at application setting option 406C related tocamera application 404C. Therefore, the anonymized location service willnot be used with camera application 404C. In an embodiment, locationservices (and any related settings) native to user device 84 may beutilized (if available) when servicing a location request related tocamera application 404C.

Crowd source component 154 of system 72, as executed by computersystem/server 12, is configured to generate a geographic cell dependingon an application setting option of an application associated with alocation request. For example, for a user who has opted in to theanonymized location service, an application setting option of ‘Home’ or‘Mobile’ for an application related to a location request is used togenerate a geographic cell based on the application setting option. Inother words, a home geographic cell is defined based on a home locationof user device 84 when an application setting option is set to ‘Home’. Amobile geographic cell is defined based on a current location of userdevice 84 when an application setting option is set to ‘Mobile’.

In an embodiment, a home geographic cell may be a predefined shape andsize that is centered at or that otherwise encompasses a user's (e.g.,user 86) home location. A home location associated with a mobile devicemay be manually entered (e.g., manually entering a home address) orderived based on prior location movements associated with the mobiledevice. For example, if a user (and user's mobile device) is determinedto spend a majority of nights at a particular location, it may beassumed that the location is the user's home address. In an example, ahome geographic cell may include a circular area having a radius of apredefined distance (e.g., 10 miles). Alternatively or in addition, ahome geographic cell may derived, at least in part, by a number ofparticipating users 82 within the home geographic cell. For example, theexample home geographic cell above may be expanded (e.g., to 25 miles)in order to include a predefined minimum number of participating users82 (e.g., at least 20).

Similarly, a mobile geographic cell may be a predefined shape and sizethat is centered at or that otherwise encompasses a current mobilelocation associated with a user (e.g., user 86). For example, a mobilegeographic cell may include a circular area having a radius of apredefined distance. Alternatively or in addition, a mobile geographiccell may be derived, at least in part, by a number of participatingusers 82 within the mobile geographic cell. In an embodiment, rules forgenerating a geographic cell (e.g., size, shape, minimum number ofparticipating users, etc.) may be stored in a rules database (notshown).

Crowd source component 154 of system 72, as executed by computersystem/server 12, is further configured to identify a set of availableparticipating devices within a defined geographic cell. In anembodiment, crowd source component 154 obtains assigned geographiclocations from anonymized location database 56 to generate a list ofparticipating devices having an assigned geographic location within thegeographic cell. Using the list, an availability of each listedparticipating device within the geographic cell is determined. In anembodiment, a current location of each of the participating devices isused to determine availability. For example, only those participatingdevices currently within the geographic cell are deemed to be available.In an embodiment, the current locations of the participating devices maybe obtained directly from the participating devices (e.g., via pingingor triangulation).

Participant device selection component 156 of system 72, as executed bycomputer system/server 12, is configured to select a participant devicefrom among the set of available participating devices. In an embodiment,a participant device is randomly selected from the set of availableparticipating devices. In another embodiment, a participant device maybe selected based on a set of predefined rules and/or a predefinedalgorithm. The predefined rules and/or predefined algorithm may bestored in a rules database (not shown).

Request fulfillment component 158 of system 72, as executed by computersystem/server 12, is configured to fulfill a location request for amobile device. In an embodiment, request fulfillment component 158 mayreceive an address (e.g., from anonymized location database 56) for aselected participant device and route the location request to theaddress of the selected participating device so that the selectedparticipating device can fulfill the location request by, transmitting acurrent location of the selected participating device to an applicationserver associated with the location request.

Two examples of the anonymized location service will be described belowwith respect to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7A-B. In a first example, referring backto FIG. 6, movie application 404B is running in the background on userdevice 84. Application server 55 associated with movie application 404Bsends a request for a location to user device 84 who is vacationing inWashington, D.C. Request reception component 152 receives the locationrequest. As shown in FIG. 6, application setting option 406B for movieapplication 404B is set to ‘Home’. Therefore, crowd source component 154determines home geographic cell 502 based on a home location (i.e.,Cleveland) associated with user device 84.

Crowd source component 154 identifies participating devices having anassigned geographic location within home geographic cell 502 (e.g.,participating device 81-1 at location B, participating device 81-10 atlocation D, and participating device 81-20 at location F). In anembodiment, crowd source component 154 may query anonymized locationdatabase 56 to obtain addresses of participating devices having anassigned geographic cell within home geographic cell 502. Based on theavailability of the participating devices (e.g., current location),participant device selection component 156 selects a participant devicefrom among the participating devices. Request fulfillment component 158routes the location request to the selected participating device via anaddress associated with the participating device so that theparticipating device can fulfill the location request by transmitting alocation of the selected participating device to the application server.

In a second example, referring again to FIG. 6, user 86 launches coffeeshops application 404E in order to locate a nearby coffee shop whilevacationing in Washington, D.C., which initiates a request for alocation of user device 84. The location of the user device 84 may besent to an application server 55 associated with coffee shopsapplication 404E in order to determine nearby coffee shops. In thisexample, coffee shops application 404E is launched within a minute ofthe location request associated with movie application 404B.

Request reception component 152 receives the location request. As shownin FIG. 6, application setting option 406E for coffee shops application404E is set to ‘Mobile’. Therefore, crowd source component 154determines mobile geographic cell 552 based on a current location (i.e.,Washington, D.C.) associated with user device 84. Crowd source component154 identifies participating users having an assigned geographiclocation within mobile geographic cell 552 (e.g., participating device81-3 at location A, participating device 81-13 at location C,participating device 81-23 at location E, and participating device 81-33at location G). Based on the availability of the participating devices(e.g., current location), participant device selection component 156selects a participant device from among the participating devices.Request fulfillment component 158 routes the location request to theselected participating device via an address associated with theparticipating device so that participating device can fulfill thelocation request.

Referring back to the two examples, assume participating device 81-1 (atLocation B) is selected from among the set of available participatingdevices in the first example. The location request associated with movieapplication 404B is received by user device 84, but is fulfilled byparticipating device 81-1 making it appear user device 84 is currentlylocated at Location B. Less than a minute later, user 86 launches coffeeshops application 404E which initiates a second request for a locationof user device 84. Participating device 81-33 (at Location G) isselected from the set of available participating devices in the secondexample. The second location request is fulfilled by participatingdevice 81-33 making it appear user device 84 is currently located atLocation G making it difficult, if not impossible, for anyone to detectthe actual current location of user 86. Within seconds, it appears user86 is in the Cleveland area (i.e., Location B) and then the Washington,D.C. area (i.e., Location G).

In another embodiment, participant device selection component 156 mayselect multiple participant devices from among the set of availableparticipating devices and request fulfillment component 158 may transmitthe location request to each of the selected participant devices tosatisfy the location request. Using coffee shops application 404E as anexample, a list of coffee shops based on the locations of the selectedparticipating devices may be displayed on user device 84.

Referring now to FIG. 8, in conjunction with FIGS. 1-5, animplementation of a process flowchart 600 for servicing a locationrequest for a user device by providing anonymized location data isshown. At step 602, request reception component 152 receives a locationrequest associated with a location-based/location-tracking applicationat a mobile device of a user. At step 604, a determination is madewhether the user has opted in to the anonymized location service. If so,a determination is made whether an application setting option associatedwith the location-based/location-tracking application is set to ‘Home’or ‘Mobile’. If so, at step 606, crowd source component 154 defines ageographic cell based on the application setting option.

At step 608, crowd source component 154 determines a set of availableparticipating devices having an assigned geographic location within thegeographic cell and obtains an address for each available participatingdevice. In an embodiment, the addresses may be obtained from anonymizedlocation database 56. At step 610, participant device selectioncomponent 156 selected a participating device from among the set ofavailable participating devices. At step 612, request fulfillmentcomponent 158 transmits the location request to the selectedparticipating device via an address of the device so that the selectedparticipating device can fulfill the location request.

Process flowchart 600 of FIG. 8 illustrates the architecture,functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems,methods, and computer program products according to various embodimentsof the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchartmay represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises oneor more executable instructions for implementing the specified logicalfunction(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the blocks might occur out ofthe order depicted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown insuccession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently. It willalso be noted that each block of flowchart illustration can beimplemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform thespecified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

Some of the functional components described in this specification havebeen labeled as systems or units in order to more particularly emphasizetheir implementation independence. For example, a system or unit may beimplemented as a hardware circuit comprising custom VLSI circuits orgate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips,transistors, or other discrete components. A system or unit may also beimplemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmablegate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices, orthe like. A system or unit may also be implemented in software forexecution by various types of processors. A system or unit or componentof executable code may, for instance, comprise one or more physical orlogical blocks of computer instructions, which may, for instance, beorganized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, theexecutables of an identified system or unit need not be physicallylocated together, but may comprise disparate instructions stored indifferent locations which, when joined logically together, comprise thesystem or unit and achieve the stated purpose for the system or unit.

Further, a system or unit of executable code could be a singleinstruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed overseveral different code segments, among different programs, and acrossseveral memory devices. Similarly, operational data may be identifiedand illustrated herein within modules, and may be embodied in anysuitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure.The operational data may be collected as a single data set, or may bedistributed over different locations including over different storagedevices and disparate memory devices.

Furthermore, systems/units may also be implemented as a combination ofsoftware and one or more hardware devices. For instance, program/utility40 may be embodied in the combination of a software executable codestored on a memory medium (e.g., memory storage device). In a furtherexample, a system or unit may be the combination of a processor thatoperates on a set of operational data.

As noted above, some of the embodiments may be embodied in hardware. Thehardware may be referenced as a hardware element. In general, a hardwareelement may refer to any hardware structures arranged to perform certainoperations. In one embodiment, for example, the hardware elements mayinclude any analog or digital electrical or electronic elementsfabricated on a substrate. The fabrication may be performed usingsilicon-based integrated circuit (IC) techniques, such as complementarymetal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), bipolar, and bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS)techniques, for example. Examples of hardware elements may includeprocessors, microprocessors, circuits, circuit elements (e.g.,transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, and so forth), integratedcircuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), programmablelogic devices (PLD), digital signal processors (DSP), field programmablegate array (FPGA), logic gates, registers, semiconductor devices, chips,microchips, chip sets, and so forth. However, the embodiments are notlimited in this context.

Any of the components provided herein can be deployed, managed,serviced, etc., by a service provider that offers to deploy or integratecomputing infrastructure with respect to a process for servicing alocation request for a user device by providing anonymized locationdata. Thus, embodiments herein disclose a process for supportingcomputer infrastructure, comprising integrating, hosting, maintaining,and deploying computer-readable code into a computing system (e.g.,computer system/server 12), wherein the code in combination with thecomputing system is capable of performing the functions describedherein.

In another embodiment, the invention provides a method that performs theprocess steps of the invention on a subscription, advertising, and/orfee basis. That is, a service provider, such as a Solution Integrator,can offer to create, maintain, support, etc., a process for servicing alocation request for a user device by providing anonymized locationdata. In this case, the service provider can create, maintain, support,etc., a computer infrastructure that performs the process steps of theinvention for one or more consumers. In return, the service provider canreceive payment from the consumer(s) under a subscription and/or feeagreement, and/or the service provider can receive payment from the saleof advertising content to one or more third parties.

Also noted above, some embodiments may be embodied in software. Thesoftware may be referenced as a software element. In general, a softwareelement may refer to any software structures arranged to perform certainoperations. In one embodiment, for example, the software elements mayinclude program instructions and/or data adapted for execution by ahardware element, such as a processor. Program instructions may includean organized list of commands comprising words, values, or symbolsarranged in a predetermined syntax that, when executed, may cause aprocessor to perform a corresponding set of operations.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product at any possible technical detail level of integration.The computer program product may include a computer readable storagemedium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereonfor causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, oreither source code or object code written in any combination of one ormore programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The computer readable program instructions may executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including,for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gatearrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute thecomputer readable program instructions by utilizing state information ofthe computer readable program instructions to personalize the electroniccircuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of theorder noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

It is apparent that there has been provided herein approaches forservicing a location request for a user device by providing anonymizedlocation data. While the invention has been particularly shown anddescribed in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will beappreciated that variations and modifications will occur to thoseskilled in the art. Therefore, it is to be understood that the appendedclaims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes thatfall within the true spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for providinglocation information, the method comprising: receiving, by a user devicefrom an application server, a request for a location of the user device;defining a geographic cell having a physical area based on a designatedlocation corresponding to an application option setting selected for anapplication associated with the application server; identifying a set ofavailable participating mobile devices to which the request for thelocation can be redirected that are currently physically located withinthe geographic cell; selecting a participating mobile device from amongthe set of available participating mobile devices; and routing thelocation request to the selected participating mobile device via anaddress associated with the selected participating mobile device.
 2. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting,from the selected participating mobile device, a location associatedwith the selected participating mobile device to the application server.3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user deviceand each participating mobile device of the set of participating mobiledevices are each selected from a group consisting of: mobile smartphones, portable media player devices, portable fitness devices, andmobile gaming devices.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein the application option setting includes a home option and amobile option, and wherein the application option setting is set via agraphical user interface on the user device.
 5. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 4, further comprising: defining the geographic cellbased on a home location of the user device when the home option isselected and defining the geographic cell based on a current location ofthe user device when the mobile option is selected; and redefining, inresponse to a determination that a number of available participatingmobile devices within the geographic cell is less than a minimumthreshold, the geographic cell to expand the physical area.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: defining asecond geographic cell having a different physical area based on asecond designated location corresponding to a second application optionsetting selected for a second application associated with a secondapplication server; identifying, in response to a second request for thelocation of the user device, a second set of available participatingmobile devices that are currently physically located within the secondgeographic cell; selecting a second participating mobile device fromamong the second set of available participating mobile devices; androuting the second location request to the selected second participatingmobile device via an address associated with the selected secondparticipating mobile device.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim1, further comprising obtaining an address for each of the set ofavailable participating mobile devices.
 8. A computer program productfor providing location information embodied in a computer readablestorage device which, when executed by at least one computer device,causes the at least one computer device to: receive, by a user devicefrom an application server, a request for a location of the user device;define a geographic cell having a physical area based on a designatedlocation corresponding to an application option setting selected for anapplication associated with the application server; identify a set ofavailable participating mobile devices to which the request for thelocation can be redirected that are currently physically located withinthe geographic cell; select a participating mobile device from among theset of available participating mobile devices; and route the locationrequest to the selected participating mobile device via an addressassociated with the selected participating mobile device.
 9. Thecomputer program product of claim 8, wherein the set of availableparticipating mobile devices is selected based on an assigned geographiclocation and current location of each of the available participatingmobile devices.
 10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein theuser device and participating mobile devices are selected from a groupconsisting of: mobile smart phones, portable media player devices,portable fitness devices, and mobile gaming devices.
 11. The computerprogram product of claim 8, further comprising program instructions todisplay a graphical user interface on the user device, wherein theapplication setting option is set via the graphical user interface, andwherein the application option setting includes a home option and amobile option.
 12. The computer program product of claim 11, furthercomprising program instructions to: define the geographic cell based ona home location of the user device when the home option is selected anddefine the geographic cell based on a current location of the userdevice when the mobile option is selected; and redefine, in response toa determination that a number of available participating mobile deviceswithin the geographic cell is less than a minimum threshold, thegeographic cell to expand the physical area.
 13. The computer programproduct of claim 8, further comprising program instructions to: define asecond geographic cell having a different physical area based on asecond designated location corresponding to a second application optionsetting selected for a second application associated with a secondapplication server; identify, in response to a second request for thelocation of the user device, a second set of available participatingmobile devices that are currently physically located within the secondgeographic cell; select a second participating mobile device from amongthe second set of available participating mobile devices; and route thesecond location request to the selected second participating mobiledevice via an address associated with the selected second participatingmobile device.
 14. The computer program product of claim 8, furthercomprising program instructions to obtain an address for each of the setof available participating mobile devices.
 15. A computer system forproviding location information, the computer system comprising: a memorymedium comprising program instructions; a bus coupled to the memorymedium; and a processor for executing the program instructions, theinstructions causing the system to: receive, by a user device from anapplication server, a request for a location of user device; define ageographic cell having a physical area based on a designated locationcorresponding to an application option setting selected for anapplication associated with the application server; identify a set ofavailable participating mobile devices to which the request for thelocation can be redirected that are currently physically located withinthe geographic cell; select a participating mobile device from among theset of available participating mobile devices; and route the locationrequest to the selected participating mobile device via an addressassociated with the selected participating mobile device.
 16. Thecomputer system of claim 15, wherein the user device and participatingmobile devices are selected from a group consisting of: mobile smartphones, portable media player devices, portable fitness devices, andmobile gaming devices.
 17. The computer system of claim 15, furthercomprising program instructions to display a graphical user interface onthe user device, wherein the application setting option is set via thegraphical user interface, and wherein the application option settingincludes a home option and a mobile option.
 18. The computer system ofclaim 17, further comprising program instructions to: define thegeographic cell based on a home location of the user device when thehome option is selected and define the geographic cell based on acurrent location of the user device when the mobile option is selected;and redefine, in response to a determination that a number of availableparticipating mobile devices within the geographic cell is less than aminimum threshold, the geographic cell to expand the physical area. 19.The computer system of claim 17, further comprising program instructionsto: define a second geographic cell having a different physical areabased on a second designated location corresponding to a secondapplication option setting selected for a second application associatedwith a second application server; identify, in response to a secondrequest for the location of the user device, a second set of availableparticipating mobile devices that are currently physically locatedwithin the second geographic cell; select a second participating mobiledevice from among the second set of available participating mobiledevices; and route the second location request to the selected secondparticipating mobile device via an address associated with the selectedsecond participating mobile device.
 20. The computer system of claim 15,further comprising program instructions to obtain an address for each ofthe set of available participating mobile devices.